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TAMPA, Fla. — The positivity at Toronto Blue Jays camp took a temporary hit Saturday when it was revealed pitching coach Pete Walker was arrested and charged with DUI early Friday morning.

The 52-year-old was pulled over shortly after midnight for driving 82 mph in a 45-mph zone, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

The report says Walker failed a field sobriety test and was booked a couple hours later, before being released shortly after 9 a.m. on $500 bond.

A Florida television station broke the news on its website just as the Jays were taking the field at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa against the New York Yankees in Grapefruit League action.

The club quickly confirmed what had happened and Walker spoke with the media after the game.

“There was a traffic incident on Thursday night that I was involved in,” Walker said. “Obviously, I'm very apologetic to the Blue Jays organization, Blue Jay fans, and my family. It’s something that I'm working through with my attorney to get resolution right now. Obviously, my apologies to my three daughters, as well. Right now, we're working through it with my attorney for a resolution in this, and that's the only comment I'll have right now.”

Manager Charlie Montoyo said he learned of the incident Friday night, and did not comment when asked if Walker will be disciplined by the team.

“We're still gathering information and out of respect for the process, that's all I’m going to say,” Montoyo said.

 

ESPINAL ADDS WEIGHT

Santiago Espinal went into camp eyeing the starting third base job.

Then the Jays went out and traded a package of prospects for Matt Chapman.

Now, Espinal and Cavan Biggio are slated to share time at second base in the early going, but either one could run with the job if they get hot with the bat.

After adding 15 pounds to his frame over the winter — he’s now up to 187 pounds — Espinal feels like he can make more of an impact offensively this season.

Espinal impressed with a .311/.376/.405 slash line, but hit just two home runs in his 246 trips to the plate.

“In the offseason, I put a lot of work into my body,” Espinal said. “I feel ready to contribute. I’m ready to turn some double plays with Bo Bichette, too. I’m ready, man.

“This year, I’m just focused on driving the ball more and having the same plan at the plate. Now that I’ve gained a couple pounds, I feel like I have more power and that I can drive the ball more. I’m ready to put up more numbers.”

On cue, Espinal bashed his first spring homer on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies.

 

PROSPECT NOTES

—Adrian Hernandez’s changeup is wowing, as expected. Considering he threw it 54 per cent of the time last season as he breezed through three levels of the minor leagues and ended up in Double-A, everybody knows it’s coming — even spring training hitters with just a basic scouting report — but the pitch is still getting some goofy swings with hitters way out in front of the 80-mph offering.

—I always have a few regrets about my yearly top 50 prospects list in spring training when guys show up throwing harder than expected or made some winter adjustment that nobody really knew about. Connor Cooke, a 10th-round pick last summer out of Louisiana-Lafayette, is that guy this year. The 6-foot-1, 203-pound right-hander is touching 98 mph this spring and the fastball data has everyone excited to see him in game action after he threw just five innings in his pro debut, likely at Low-A Dunedin. There’s a chance he’s one of the more interesting starting pitching prospects in the system by this time next year if things go like some think they could.

—No. 4 prospect Jordan Groshans is expected to miss at least a couple weeks after suffering an oblique injury on a swing.

—Addison Barger had a big time confidence builder on Friday, homering off stud right-hander Kevin Gausman in an intrasquad game. Barger hammered a flat fastball a long, long way to right field. Barger’s power is real, but there’s a lot of swing and miss, too. Barger struck out 32.9 per cent of the time last year at Low-A.

—Yosver Zulueta continues to be mysterious, but the Cuban right-hander is healthy and once again showing a lively fastball in the 96-99 mph range. Coming off a torn ACL that he suffered covering first base in his very first start last spring, Zulueta is still absolutely a name to track in the early going.

—After a couple years of elbow troubles, including Tommy John surgery, Eric Pardinho is healthy and throwing bullpens once again. Nobody really knows what to expect, but he could move quickly if the stuff looks anything like it did a few years ago.

—I spent a good portion of one afternoon this week watching a game between Jays and New York Yankees on the backfields at the player development complex, and Estiven Machado was the reason why. Machado, whose season ended with a torn hamstring last year, spent a whole lot of time stretching his legs pre-game, before going out as the second baseman and walking twice and singling up the middle. He’s a breakout candidate.

—Joey Murray was throwing to hitters the other day, showing a fastball from 88-90 mph. I also checked out the spin rate, and it was back above 2,600 rpm after an elbow sprain in 2021.

—Catcher Victor Mesia, who sits at No. 27 on my list, is the name that keeps popping up when I ask about breakout potential with the bat.

—Rikelbin De Castro made a dazzling, big-league play at shortstop in a backfields game against the Yankees. He came in on a ball and made a Tony Fernandez-style play that was pretty to watch.

—The Adrian Pinto acquisition in the Randal Grichuk trade was driven by analytical modelling. He apparently stood out in a big way for at least one of the Jays’ number-crunchers after posting a .360/.486/.543 slash line. Making his 17 per cent walk rate doubly impressive is the fact the Dominican Summer League strike zone is about the size of a football field because the umpires want to get the heck out of there.

—After dealing with visa issues, No. 1 prospect Gabriel Moreno arrived in Jays camp and spent the first couple of days quietly going about his work. Moreno, whose English improves every time I see him and it’s now at the point where he’s very comfortable in casual conversation, said the Jays were trying to give his body a bit of a rest in winter ball, which is why he only saw time as the DH. The visa issues and late start won’t impact Moreno’s season much as he heads to Triple-A Buffalo to start knocking down the door to the big leagues.